Chapter 1478 - 1148: I Only Want Yu Wenye’s Head!

"Heavy Cavalry?"

Just as the front lines had devolved into a sea of blood, the message finally reached the rear in the Central Army Tent. Xiao Yuansui’s face remained somber, even as he stepped to the front of the tent—the sunlight on his face did nothing to dispel the deep gloom that enveloped him.

"Heavy Cavalry..."

After repeating these four words once more, he furrowed his brow and looked at the third soldier who had come to report: "How many heavy cavalry does he lead?"

The soldier replied, "He brought about over a thousand troops."

"Oh..."

Upon hearing the number, Xiao Yuansui’s eyes were still shadowed, but his brow relaxed slightly, and even Hua Ziyang and Shi Yutao unconsciously exhaled a breath of relief. But then, the soldier continued, "There are two other contingents also attacking us."

Upon hearing this, the crowd widened their eyes: "Two other contingents?"

The soldier nodded: "Yes, also heavy cavalry, each with close to a thousand men."

Xiao Yuansui gasped.

This meant that under Yu Wenye’s command, there were no less than three thousand heavy cavalry.

Three thousand... heavy cavalry...

At this moment, the soldiers, who had been scattered and crushed by Yu Wenye’s repeated attacks, cut down by him on horseback, learned of the terror of heavy cavalry through blood and death. Compared to them, Xiao Yuansui understood even better what a thousand heavy cavalry could mean on the battlefield.

In collusion with Liang Shide, the greatest reliance for Ashina Zhuxie, who could seize the position of Western Turkic Khan in one fell swoop, was indeed his heavy cavalry.

Yet, to maintain such a cavalry was incredibly challenging—not only was selecting soldiers skilled in martial arts difficult, but finding horses that could bear not just heavy armor but also soldiers adorned in heavy armor was even harder. Training cavalry was even more arduous, and the entire process was costly, requiring tremendous energy and effort.

Unexpectedly, Yu Wenye managed it.

He possessed over three thousand heavy cavalry in total!

Yet, in prior battles, whether attacking the Luoyang Eight Passes, confronting Shan Shiyu at Hulao Pass, or in several skirmishes with him afterward, he refrained from deploying them even once!

He had been hiding his edge, waiting for the most critical moment to unleash his forces!

And now, with his ten-thousand-strong army encamped outside Hulao Pass, his cavalry’s supplies nearly exhausted, and the battle in Luoyang becoming critical, could this be the pivotal moment he was waiting for... really?

Perhaps not just that.

Xiao Yuansui slowly turned around, looking at the wooden board in the center of the Central Army Tent—as the wind howled, mixed with shouts from the front like rumbling thunder. Even speaking in the deepest part of the tent required raising one’s voice to be heard clearly, yet in such a noisy environment, Xiao Yuansui seemed able to hear the heavy breathing originating from the back.

She, perhaps, was what Yu Wenye desired most from this battle.

As he considered this, a hint of unfamiliar ruthlessness flickered in Xiao Yuansui’s eyes—a ruthlessness perhaps foreign even to himself. He abruptly turned back: "Hua Ziyang, Shi Yutao!"

The two stepped forward to receive their orders upon hearing.

Xiao Yuansui commanded, "Each of you leads five hundred troops, and go forth to engage."

At this point, he paused, looking at Shi Yutao: "I don’t need you to charge into battle, just assist."

Shi Yutao hesitated, instinctively wanting to say something, but before he could speak, Xiao Yuansui turned away again, his dark eyes fixed intently on Hua Ziyang as if trying to inject a bloody conviction into his heart through his gaze, uttering one word at a time: "I want Yu Wenye’s head!"

"...!"

Suddenly, the two understood.

Today’s battle, though nominally between Xiao Yuansui’s ten-thousand-strong army and the soldiers at Hulao Pass, was essentially about Yu Wenye wanting to kill Xiao Yuansui, Xiao Yuansui wanting to kill Yu Wenye. These two individuals were respectively the heads of their opposing forces, the center, the source of everything—kill that one person, and the enemy’s army would immediately collapse!

And Yu Wenye, indeed terrifying with his three thousand heavy cavalry—the war being fought was savagely bloody enough that without detailed reports from the soldiers at the front, just hearing "three thousand" and "heavy cavalry" painted a picture of the intense battle unfolding. The combat strength of heavy cavalry on the battlefield was such that one could combat ten, or even more.

But, they were facing a ten-thousand-strong army!

Even up to now, Yu Wenye and his group’s assault had not closed in on the Central Army Tent here, proving that their limits were only so far!

"Yes!"

Hua Ziyang and Shi Yutao responded in unison, with Hua Ziyang taking a deep look at Xiao Yuansui after answering.

Perhaps, ever since that night when Yu Wenye was saved by Shantong’er and those monks, Xiao Yuansui fell into a kind of obsession—a past him would consider the greater picture, the outcome, not swayed by the life or death of one person or his own emotional whims; but the present him, relentlessly wanted Yu Wenye dead—regardless, if this battle truly succeeded in killing Yu Wenye, it could indeed reverse the situation for the entire Eastern Capital.

The outcome, perhaps, really hinged on this attempt!

Hua Ziyang let out a heavy sigh and then turned around with Shi Yutao simultaneously to walk out. There were already people outside who had heard the order, and at this moment, they immediately led their warhorses to them. The two mounted their horses and led their respective troops away in a cloud of dust.

Xiao Yuansui stood in front of the tent, watching the dust rising ahead, the sound of hooves pounding, the wind whistling.

At the same time, he listened to the increasingly heavy breathing behind him.

Though he hadn’t taken a single step, hearing that heavy breathing made it feel as though he had undergone some ordeal, not much better than those soldiers at the front who were wounded by blades, trampled by warhorses.

Xiao Yuansui gritted his teeth, revealing a near grotesque smile.

No matter what, he would not easily let Shang Ruyi go. If Hua Ziyang could kill Yu Wenye and bring back his bloody head... he even looked forward to seeing this scene, not to see Yu Wenye’s head, but to see the reaction of Shang Ruyi upon seeing Yu Wenye’s head.

Would she still be so steadfast for this man?

Meanwhile, Yu Wenye forcefully pulled the reins, and his Fiery Warhorse let out a long neigh, stopping in its tracks. The blood on its body splattered more than ten long steps away, drawing a long bloodstain on the ground.

One man, one horse, had become a blood-soaked man and horse.

At this moment, even their heavy breathing was filled with the scent of blood. Looking up, they saw a river stretched out before them, but it was not the Yellow River rolling turbulently from west to east, but rather the Sishui River flowing gently from north to south outside Hulao Pass.

Once again, they had broken through the enemy’s lines.

Yu Wenye spat out a mouthful of bloody saliva and then turned his horse around. The army in disarray from their charge was regrouping once again. Countless spears drew bright glimmers in the air, and with a sharp, mournful whinny, a warhorse reared up violently. It was clear to see that the horse’s body was already riddled with arrows, spears, and swords continuously stabbed into it, turning it into a massive porcupine before it eventually collapsed.

With this fall, the soldier from the Xuanjia Army on the horse’s back also fell off, and the surrounding soldiers instantly rushed up like ants. The shouts of anger and screams mixed into one, until a mist of blood rose.

Following closely, there was a second soldier.

Yu Wenye, with bloodshot eyes, watched the gradually exhausted soldiers being pulled down one by one by the relentless enemy forces.

A hundred thousand troops may seem like a number, but when presented before you, it’s not just any number. It signifies that even if you fight ten enemy soldiers at once, you will be knocked down by the eleventh charging soldier. It further indicates that after several rounds of breaking through, you haven’t even touched the edges of the opponent’s Central Army Tent.

But, it is not the time to concede!

With this thought, Yu Wenye spurred his horse forward yet again. But just as he wielded his blade, he realized that the Mo Blade in his hand was already full of nicks, the blade even bent!

More importantly, as he urged his horse forward, his Fiery Warhorse staggered.

It was tired too.

The heavy breathing of man and horse for a moment even overshadowed the thunderous cries of battle ahead, until a familiar figure broke through the crowd once again, rushing to his side—it was Xue Lin, wielding a long spear that dripped with blood as he charged towards Yu Wenye. But before he got close, his warhorse’s front legs gave way, sending it tumbling to the ground.

"Ah!"

Xue Lin let out a hurried, low cry. Fortunately, he reacted quickly, hurriedly twisting his body to land on his shoulder, rolling over several times before stabilizing, getting up and sprinting to Yu Wenye: "Your Highness!"

Yu Wenye looked at him, then towards the fallen horse behind him, foaming at the mouth, already unable to rise.

Meanwhile, the spear in Xue Lin’s hand was without its spearhead.

Yu Wenye said, "Go back."

Upon hearing this, Xue Lin’s eyes immediately turned red, and he hurriedly said, "Your Highness, didn’t you want me to follow you?"

Yu Wenye said, "You can no longer fight."

"I—"

Xue Lin anxiously tried to say something, but upon seeing the nicked blade in Yu Wenye’s hand, he gritted his teeth and said, "Can Your Highness still fight?"

Yu Wenye raised his arm, bringing the Mo Blade to his eyes, its bright blade still held fresh blood and reflected a faint shimmer in the sunlight. Only then did he realize that the sun had begun to set westward; they had been fighting for more than one hour.

No wonder, lifting his arm was somewhat straining.

He said, "I—"

But before he finished, a gust of wind suddenly blew from behind, carrying a bit of watery mist, Xue Lin instantly widened his eyes, revealing a slightly surprised expression as he looked behind him.

Yu Wenye also turned his head.

Only to see Shantong’er riding a horse, splashing through the massive waves of the Sishui River. In his hands, he held two heavy copper hammers and a bright Mo Blade.

And on the horse’s back, rested the huge Divine Arm Bow.